


Go With Me

by hutchabelle



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 07:45:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8004232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hutchabelle/pseuds/hutchabelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friends at Panem State University, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen attend a party together and discover how much they like each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Go With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Everlark Birthday Drabbles with the prompt "college AU/best friends to lovers/roommates."

“You are going with me tonight, right?” Peeta asked with a hint of frantic energy lurking beneath his calm façade.

 

Katniss clutched her backpack strap and pulled it tighter against her shoulder in a futile attempt to quell the turmoil that roiled in her stomach. “Do I have to?”

 

She didn’t miss the flash of hurt on his face before he was able to school his features and smile at her. His deep blue eyes narrowed slightly and then widened into the sincere, compassionate gaze that almost always graced his handsome face. He straightened the slump of his shoulders so quickly she nearly missed it, but she’d known him long enough to realize he was upset.

 

“Of course not.” His hasty refusal only served to convince her that she was right, and she wracked her brain to figure out a way she could soothe his ruffled feathers and still not have to attend the party to which he’d been invited. It became apparent pretty quickly that her best case scenario wasn’t possible. She either had to accept his disappointment or suck it up and go with him.

 

She huffed a few times and then bumped her shoulder into his. “Okay, fine. I’ll go.” She almost laughed at how begrudging she sounded, but the relieved grin that spread lazily across his face was worth a few uncomfortable hours at a party she had no desire to attend.

 

He pulled her to him in a quick hug and smacked a kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best, Kat!” he called as he backed up a few steps and then turned to sprint across the quad. “I’m late to class! I’ll pick you up at 7:00 tonight.”

 

“It’s a good thing I like you!” she shouted back and laughed at the thumbs up he flashed her before disappearing into the building where his international relations class was held.

 

Truthfully, she more than liked him. Peeta Mellark was her best friend and had been for years. He was the reason she loved anyone other than her mother and sister since he’d singlehandedly made sure she had someone to talk to and play with and invite over since they were assigned desks next to each other in first grade. Six months before high school graduation, he’d insisted she fill out the application, scholarship request, and financial aid form for Panem State University. She’d been shocked when she’d not only been accepted but also awarded with enough financial support to be able to attend and not place a significant strain on her family. The fact that Peeta was going to go to the same college made her decision to attend even easier.

 

Over the first two years they’d been at Panem State, she and Peeta were inseparable. As they studied together and attended campus events, their easy friendship deepened into a connection so intense, she sometimes felt physical pain when they separated. Swallowing hard, she shuffled to the library and stashed her backpack behind the circulation desk in preparation for her five-hour shift. She’d have just enough time to finish, get home, and take a quick shower before Peeta picked her up at her apartment.

 

As she wandered through the house party that night, she realized she should have factored in time to eat. She was starving and there wasn’t any food, only copious amounts of alcohol. She’d made the mistake of drinking two plastic glasses of punch before she realized it was spiked. Now the room was spinning, and she wasn’t sure where Peeta was anymore. She stumbled slightly and fought to right herself before a solid grip on her arms steadied her.

 

“Easy, Katniss. Are you okay?”

 

Peeta turned her to him, and her breath caught in her throat. The light sweater he wore was her favorite color of evergreen, and a lock of his golden hair fell across his forehead. His full lips were tinted a deep pink from his drink, and his blue eyes crinkled at the corners. She swayed again slightly and hoped someday she’d fall into those deep pools of calm blue and stay there forever.

 

Someone bumped her from behind, and she flung her arms up to anchor herself against Peeta’s chest. She tilted her head back, and her breath caught in her throat at the heated longing that appeared on her best friend’s face.

 

She blinked, but her eyes stayed closed a bit longer than they should have before focusing on the way his bottom lip was caught by his teeth. Mesmerized, she traced the tip of her tongue along the curve of her mouth and felt the room shift.

 

His head dipped, and he pressed his mouth to hers, gently at first, and then with more pressure. He gathered her tighter against him and nudged her head back for a better angle. She melted into him and breathed in his scent, a mixture of cinnamon and dill that came from his insistence on burning incense that reminded him of his parents’ bakery. He radiated warmth that heated her core and sent sparks to parts of her body she didn’t often think about in public.

 

Breaking the kiss, he pulled back and looked at her through hooded eyes. “Wow,” he mumbled, and she grinned at the pink tint of his ears. Katniss leaned in to kiss him again, but he hesitated.

 

“What’s wrong?” she sputtered in irritation that he seemed less than enthusiastic about what had just happened between them.

 

His eyes flickered across her face, and he asked, “How much have you had to drink, Kat?”

 

She winced but stood her ground and insisted, “Not enough that this isn’t what I want.”

 

“I, uh… Are you sure about this?” His voice cracked, and he ducked his head awkwardly. She remained silent until he finally raised his head to look at her. When she nodded, he suggested, “Maybe we should duck out of the party and go talk somewhere.”

 

“Maybe we should go somewhere and get back to kissing.”

 

He grinned and grabbed her hand. As he led her to the door, he agreed, “Maybe we should.”


End file.
